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Blog - November 2016

How many times do Canadians have to request a secret vote? I have known for many years that the way Canada provides people who are blind to mark a ballot is not adequate. The fact that we can't see, should make it easy for government officials to understand that if we have a special template to put our ballot into, with tactile areas to place our X in, we can't see if the ballot moved, thereby making our ballot void. Why is it that our federal government will not bring a way of voting that allows for a private secret secure vote? I am deaf-blind. Please try to view this bill from the perspective of Canadians who wish to vote in secret and with dignity.

Technology is used extensively by both the government and candidates during the time leading up to the vote.

Many people who are blind seem to reject the fact that they are courageous, or brave. They seem to think what they do, how they do it is the norm for them. If more people who are blind saw themselves as courageous or brave, maybe they would feel good and "proud" of themselves.

I recall the first time I decided to take public transit to meet a friend to stay over-night. I was nervous, but I also wanted to start being more independent.

I wondered what would happen if I got lost. I had difficulty hearing, but I had enough, back then to travel reasonably safely.

The first time we do something, that is going to be difficult, we are being brave. We forget that we did accomplish something that took effort to do for the first time.

Who you are, includes everything about you, eye colour, height and disability you might have. But the fact my deafness and blindness are named disabilities makes these inconveniences seem more negative than they actually are. If someone is allergic to dust, that is not deemed to be a disability, yet it does cause significant problems yet an allergy to dust is no cause for discrimination. So, the label of disability is the problem, not the disability itself.

If you think about the fact that blindness is most commonly experienced by loss of sight over several years. The loss people experience is significant yet everyone seems to cope with the loss and use their creativity to continue to do things they liked to do before the loss. How people manage to adapt is cause for tremendous pride.

Is the idea of being proud of yourself new to you? How about being proud of the fact that you have a disability or that you can eat anything without getting sick?

I share with you that I am very proud of who I am, and that I am deaf-blind. The fact that I was born blind, and that I have never let that fact stop me from doing what I want, is a part of who I am, and who I intend to always be. It wasn't easy to learn to live with deafness, but I have succeeded very well. I am an active senior citizen that is proud of being one of few people who is totally blind and deaf. I can do several things well I know what it is to have patience and to persist. I have experienced many hard times and come away with more pride in myself. No one will ever take that from me.